The present invention relates to a packaging film comprising an at least monoaxially oriented, multilayered, flexible polymeric film having a total thickness ≤18 μm, preferably ≤12 μm, which has an elongation of up to at most 1% under a tensile force of at least 3 N per 25 mm width in accordance with DIN EN ISO 527-3, and to packaging produced therefrom for preferably individually packaged hygiene products or individually packaged incontinence products.
It is known that polymeric films are used for numerous applications, of which the use of polymeric films as packaging material adds up to a considerable proportion of the total use. Accordingly, in particular in the hygiene sector an increasing trend can be recognized for packaging hygiene articles for single use, since increasingly hygiene articles, such as panty liners or sanitary towels but also incontinence articles, are packaged individually. Therefore, there is increasing demand for corresponding packaging material for these articles as well. Since such packaging material is barely recyclable and cannot be used for any repeated use, attempts are also increasing to use as few fossil resources as possible for the provision of these packaging materials too. This means that for the production of such polymeric films as packaging material, as little as possible of the polymers obtained from fossil raw material should be used, but without at the same time causing impacts on the vital quality requirements of such polymeric films, particularly on their mechanical properties, their barrier properties, and on other necessary physical properties.
In order to save polymer material in the production of polymeric films, it is obvious first of all to reduce the total thickness of a multilayer polymeric film of this kind. Since, however, this usual approach can cause in some cases a drastic reduction of the mechanical properties of such polymeric film, such as of its tensile stress, its tear resistance, and where relevant of its puncture resistance, which has not only adverse effects on the handling on the polymeric film during further processing to the end product, but may also cause disruptions of the production. Accordingly, such possibility for saving on material creates inconsiderable risks. Moreover, in the case of the application of a release coating on polymeric films with only a total layer thickness of ≤20 μm, difficulties may also occur.
It was an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a packaging film based on a flexible polymeric film which in spite of having a reduced total film thickness of below 20 μm having excellent mechanical properties guarantying undisrupted processing.